General Awareness

GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES - July 2019

Jul 2019

Dec 08, 2019

Free Ride Scheme for Women in Chittoor

The Chittoor police launched the "Free Ride Scheme" for women in Chittoor municipal corporation limits, to provide secure transportation for them during nights.
According to Superintendent of Police S. Senthil Kumar, the scheme would be made available for women in need of emergency services between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. He said the unique service would be operational in Chittoor corporation limits initially and would soon be extended to Madanapalle, Palamaner, Chittoor, Puttur and Sri City sub-divisions soon.

Dec 06, 2019

Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 Gets Rajya Sabha Nod

The Rajya Sabha gave its consent to the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019, replacing an ordinance that was used to slash corporate tax rates to stimulate growth.
The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was cleared by voice vote in the Rajya Sabha, for returning to the Lower House. The amendment replaces an ordinance that reduced the tax rate for domestic companies from 30% and 25% (for those with annual turnover of over Rs. 400 crore) to 22% if they don't claim certain exemptions under the Income Tax Act. The rate for new domestic manufacturing companies set up after October 1 was lowered to 15%.

Dec 05, 2019

Data Protection Bill Gets Cabinet Nod

The government approved the Personal Data Protection Bill that will spell out a framework for handling of personal data including its processing by public and private entities.
The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Bill is likely to contain broad guidelines on collection, storage and processing of personal data, consent of individuals, penalties and compensation, code of conduct and an enforcement model.

Bar Council Brings Out New Rules

In the wake of the recent violent clashes between lawyers and Delhi Police officials in the capital ahead of the Tis Hazari bar association elections, the Bar Council of India (BCI) has notified new rules for lawyers keen to contest elections to bar associations.
The rules include prohibiting them from seeking votes in the name of religion, race or caste or exceeding the limit fixed by the apex regulator on election expenditure. These activities, said BCI, would amount to corrupt practices and could lead to suspension of an advocate's practice license if he or she is found guilty. Though the rules were approved by the BCI general council in an April meeting, the notification was issued this week and sent to all the State Bar Councils for circulation among all bar association.

Rajya Sabha Passes Bill Granting Rights to Illegal Colonies

A bill that grants ownership rights to people living in 1,731 unauthorised colonies in Delhi was passed by the Rajya Sabha.
The National Capital Territory of Delhi (Recognition of Property Rights of Residents in Unauthorised Colonies) Bill, 2019, which was passed in the Lok Sabha in November, 2019 is expected to benefit eight lakh families.
According to Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Puri, after the bill gets the President's nod, work on uploading of maps of 1,731 colonies would be completed.

Citizenship Bill Approved by Cabinet

The Union Cabinet cleared a draft legislation that proposes citizenship for religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, fulfilling a key election promise of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and setting the stage for a parliamentary showdown with opposition parties that have called the move divisive.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, gives Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians if they entered India from the three nearby countries on or before December 31, 2014. It may be placed before Parliament.
The bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act of 1955 but is likely to stoke protests in the north-eastern region that has long complained of an influx of illegal immigrants and opposed a previous version of the bill earlier this year.
According to the government, the draft bill was aimed at three goals: equity, accountability and innovation; and the bill would apply to those people who were forced or compelled to seek shelter in India due to persecution on the ground of religion or fear of such persecution in his country.

Dec 04, 2019

Parliament passed bill to merge Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli UTs

The Parliament passed a bill to merge two Union territories Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli into one unit.
The Rajya Sabha passed the Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Merger of Union Territories) Bill, 2019 through voice vote.
Lok Sabha has already passed this bill on November 27

Lok Sabha Cleared The Recycling of Ships Bill, 2019

The Lok Sabha passed the Recycling of Ships Bill, 2019, by voice vote. The Bill was introduced by the Minister of State for Shipping, Mansukh Mandaviya, seeks to restrict the use of hazardous material on ships and regulates the recycling of ships by establishing a National Authority.
Ship recycling refers to dismantling of a ship to recover the components and materials for reuse, and taking care of the hazardous material so produced. It includes associated operations such as storage and treatment of materials and components on site.

Rajya Sabha passed SPG bill

The Rajya Sabha passed the Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, 2019, a week after it was cleared by the Lok Sabha. The Congress party staged a walkout during voting on the Bill.
The amendments to the Act aims to provide SPG cover for only the prime minister and his "immediate family residing with him at his official residence", as well as any former prime minister and members of his immediate family "residing with him at the residence allotted to him for a period of five years, from the date he ceases to hold the office of Prime Minister."
The passage of bill follows a security breach at Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's residence on 25 November. Senior Congress party leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Jairam Ramesh turned up the heat on the Centre for the proposed amendments, which the party claims has left the family vulnerable to threats.

Dec 03, 2019

Parliament Passes Bill to Ban E-cigarettes

The Lok Sabha passed a bill which seeks to prohibit the production, trade, transport, storage and advertisement of electronic cigarettes in the country.
The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Bill, 2019, was passed in Rajya Sabha with voice vote. The bill was passed in Lok Sabha.
The government had issued ordinance to ban e-cigarettes in September 2019. The new law would replace the ordinance.
The bill provides for imprisonment of up to one year, or a fine of up to one lakh rupees, or both to a first time violator.
For any subsequent offence, it says that the crime will be punishable with an imprisonment of up to three years, along with a fine of up to five lakh rupees.

Andhra CM Launches Post-Operative Sustenance Allowance

Chief Minister Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy launched Dr. YSR Aarogyasri Aasara aimed at providing Post-Operative Sustenance allowance of Rs. 225 per day or Rs. 5000 per month during the recuperative period after treatment at the Guntur General Hospital in Guntur.
It is estimated that almost 4.5 lakh people will get this benefit per annum. The scheme came into existence from December 1, 2019.

Punjab to Create Rural Land Banks

The Punjab cabinet gave in-principle approval to amend the Punjab Village Common Land (Regulation) Rules, 1964, to create land banks in rural areas to boost industrial development in the state.
The cabinet cleared the proposal of the rural development and panchayats department for insertion of Rule 12-B in the Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulation) Rules, 1964, to provide special provision for transfer of shamlat land, or common land, for development of industrial infrastructure projects, to be implemented by industries department and Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC).
Shamlat land is the land which does not come under habitation and cultivation and is considered as consolidated land holdings for common use.

Lok Sabha Passes the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019

The Lok Sabha passed the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 to replace the September 20 ordinance that sharply reduced corporate tax rates after a stormy debate in the House during which Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the decision was aimed at attracting investment to spur growth and create jobs.
She said that the decision to reduce corporate tax was a strategic one — to make India a competitive investment destinations for multi-national companies looking for an alternative to China amid the ongoing Sino-US trade war.

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